


Pearlapis Hell- An Odyssey

by OneHitWondersAnonymous, WhatCameFirst



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/F, One Shot Collection, Romance, Shorts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-04-25 06:12:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4949737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneHitWondersAnonymous/pseuds/OneHitWondersAnonymous, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatCameFirst/pseuds/WhatCameFirst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A rather dangerous amalgam of writers equally devoted to a ship largely considered crack. This will be a collection of small prompts, with a wide variety of storylines and AUs and lengths, but with one thing absolutely in common- Pearl and Lapis Lazuli being cuties together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bare Feet and Glass

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the first piece! I'm Anon, and this is a little idea that came to me while we were bouncing ideas off each other the other night. Consider it a human AU, still taking place in Beach City (or another random city on the beach if you prefer). Enjoy!

“Honestly, I don’t know what your problem is with just _listening to me_ ,” A very exasperated Pearl sighed, winding her hands in neat, tight circles and refusing to look at anything, or anyone, but the bandages.

“Calm down Pearl, it’s not even a big deal.” Lapis groaned, wiggling her toes in Pearl’s face. Pearl balked and held them still while she finished wrapping her foot in gauze. Lapis laughed- Pearl looked so funny when she was tired of her antics.

Truth be told, Lapis did feel slightly bad. She’d gotten blood on one of Pearl’s favorite dresses, and Pearl was obviously concerned. She’d refused to let Lapis walk herself back home with her bare foot cut open, which meant a very disgruntled Lapis held in Pearl’s arms bridal style all the way to their back patio. She couldn’t help but smile now though, if only because Pearl’s meticulous work with the bandages and antiseptic was strangely charming.

“I told you, like I tell you _every_ time that we go for a walk, that ‘you’d better put on shoes! Who knows what’s in the sand!’” Pearl gestured wildly with her arms, shrugging. “But no, you refused, like you do _every_ time, and now look where we are!” Pearl pointed at Lapis’s heavily bandaged foot. She wiggled her toes again.

“Um… on a beach?” Lapis said, and Pearl screeched behind clenched teeth.

“I can’t believe you sometimes, Lapis Lazuli,” Pearl huffed, crossing her arms and looking away, “you are just so, so…!”

“Let’s see,” Lapis said, placing a finger to her chin and looking to the sky to feign thoughtfulness, “irresponsible, reckless, frustrating, and generally awful?” She counted off, putting a finger up for each with a sly grin.

Pearl squawked, glaring back at Lapis. “Well, I was going to say insufferable, but those words mean just about the same thing, so I’ll allow it.”

“Aw come on Pearl.” Lapis drawled, rolling forward on her knees and catching her girlfriend off guard by suddenly appearing inches from her face. “I can’t be _that_ bad.” She very quickly pecked Pearl on the cheek, whose flushed skin grew only pinker at the contact.

Pearl swatted her away, failing to hide the smile bubbling from inside, and looked into her overly dewy eyes. The dark blue in them always matched the ocean at night, down to the crashing of the waves. The sun was setting now, and lighting them afire. Her heart swelled.

“Earth to Pearl?” Lapis ran her thumb over Pearl’s hand. Pearl hadn’t realized they’d locked hands already; she’d been too easily swept away. Lapis smiled softly, the kind that Pearl liked best because of how genuine it felt. Lapis’s emotions always felt so raw and true. She loved how freely she expressed herself.

Lapis leaned in to give Pearl a gentle kiss, the kind that felt barely there. “Thank you for cleaning up my foot,” Lapis said, looking down and away with a blush of embarrassment, “and I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you about the shoes thing.”

Pearl smiled warmly and turned Lapis’s attention back to her. “You’re welcome.” She kissed her again, short and sweet. The sun was disappearing behind the horizon over the sea. “Let’s get inside.”

She stood and held out her hand for Lapis to use for momentum. Lapis’s foot was a little sore, but nothing she couldn’t handle. However, as soon as Pearl noticed the slight limp in her step, she halted and easily picked her up like she had on her way there. “Oh my god Pearl, I’m fine!” Lapis said, covering her face with both hands to hide her blush.

“Just let me have my fun,” Pearl said with a cheeky grin. Lapis groaned and let her carry her into their quaint little beach house, the one Lapis had demanded they rent as it had been the closest to the ocean. Pearl let her down easily on the couch and sat next to her, brushing the sand from her bandages. “There, good as new.” Pearl said, clearly happy with herself.

Lapis smiled. “Thanks.”

“Do you know what this means?” Pearl said, moving in closely to Lapis’s face in a way that wooed her instantly. It was her turn to get lost in Pearl’s eyes, bright blue like the clearest skies in summer.

“What?” She breathed, flustered at how close they were. Pearl touched her shoulder and Lapis swore electricity jumped through her.

Pearl hesitated, and then slowly moved her lips to Lapis’s ear. She shivered at Pearl’s breath on her ear. Pearl left just enough time to leave Lapis begging for an answer.

“I’m buying you shoes.” She said, deadpan.

Lapis gasped and grabbed the nearest pillow to smack Pearl in the head, who recoiled in fits of laughter. “You tease! I hate you!”

“No you don’t,” Pearl said, beaming while wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, “you love me.”

“Yeah,” Lapis whispered. “I love you.”


	3. Seashells and Hats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a (slightly belated) birthday present for my lovely co-author! I'm really hoping you'll like this one. I put a lot of love and time into it and I hope it shows. 
> 
> Pearl is an overtired, introverted woman living a quiet life in Beach City. Things were shaping up to be just the way she wanted -quiet, reserved, predictable, mundane- but fate had other plans. Pearl and Lapis are an unlikely pair, but it takes just the right circumstances to get the ball rolling. The mystery lies in what comes next.

Pearl, though her name betrayed it, did not enjoy the sea. In fact, she actively avoided the inevitable confrontation from her friends every time summer would come around and they would ask her to come to the beach. She’d shut her blinds and keep the lights out, relying on the warm sun to light her book pages and blasting the AC. Eventually they got tired of being frustrated, so they just stopped asking. That was fine by her.

She wasn’t much of an outdoorsy person, either. Her electricity and heating bills were always astronomically high. She got allergies in the spring and fall months, and keeping the windows shut year round was an effective way to reduce the sneezing and sniffling, even though it meant sacrificing the efficiency of borrowing outside’s temperatures. Outdoors was not something Pearl sought out, and only faced when forced. Even then, her friends had begun to get the message that Pearl had no interest in beaches or camping, and simply let it go with exasperated sighs. Also fine by her.

So when Garnet and Amethyst came knocking on her door at half past noon on a beautiful summer day, Pearl groaned audibly. She knew where this was going.

“Hiya, P!” Amethyst greeted as Pearl slowly swung the door open. Garnet’s sunglasses were glittering in the hot sun, as expressionless and silent as the wearer. “So we were on our way out and we just happened to walk right by your porch, so I thought, wow, what a lovely coincidence, right Garnet?” She nodded in agreement.

“That’s definitely what happened.” Garnet said flatly, but a hint of a smile was pulling at her pronounced lips.

Pearl sighed and leaned against her doorway. She was still in her pajamas. She rarely bothered to get fully dressed on her days off, since they were few and far between. “So you thought you would try to convince me, once again, to come with you?”

“Duh, yeah, that’s why we’re on your front porch now.” Amethyst rolled her eyes and Pearl gave her an incredulous stare. “Dude, it’s so nice outside! C’mon, you can’t tell me you’d rather stay in that dark, sad cave that you call a house.” She pointed into Pearl’s living room, which was admittedly dim with all the lights turned off and blinds half-closed.

“Actually, Amethyst, I would rather stay in this, ‘dark, sad cave’ that I call a house. It’s much too warm outside, and I don’t have any sunscreen.”

“Bull!” Amethyst called. She stomped past Pearl into her house without warning, leaving her floundering for a proper response. Pearl followed with anxiety spiking in her chest, suddenly worried about the mess. Amethyst pulled a drawer to one of her desks open and plunged a hand into it, fishing around for a few seconds before yelling, “Hah!” She pulled out a barely used bottle of sunscreen and shoved it at Pearl triumphantly. “I knew you had this in there. Can’t fool me, P.”

“B-but, it’s probably expired-“ Pearl reached for the bottle but Amethyst swiped it out of reach.

“Nah, not playing that game today, P. Now let’s go!” She smiled widely and Garnet, who Pearl hadn’t noticed behind her, turned and walked back out to the porch behind Amethyst, who had a silly hop in her step from her win.

Pearl looked ahead to them both standing on her porch and sagged, sighing in defeat. “Alright,” Amethyst whooped in the background, “but I need to at least get my things ready before we go. Come in and shut the door please, you’re ruining my air conditioning.”

Pearl walked swiftly to her bedroom to change and collect her swim bag. Just because she didn’t like the beach didn’t mean she wasn’t prepared. She pulled a light sundress on over her swimsuit and grabbed the biggest sunhat she owned. The less sunlight, the better off she’d be. Her skin would be lobster-red, even with all the sunscreen in the world, if she didn’t take extra precautions to avoid it.

“Are you packing half your wardrobe? Let’s go before the sun sets!” Amethyst called out with a bit of irritation hiding in her impatience. Just for that, Pearl contemplated waiting another few minutes before emerging.

“Please Amethyst, you should feel lucky that I’m coming at all.” She muttered.

“Hey I heard that!” Pearl rolled her eyes. She rifled through everything in her bag to make sure it was all accounted for: beach towel, check. Extra dress and change of clothes, check. Trashy magazines that she swore she only got because they were subscribed by the previous resident of her home? Check.

Fully convinced that she had everything she needed, she stood back and sighed. She tugged at the thin strap of her bathing suit that was starting to dig into her shoulder. She would stay for an hour, no longer. It would be fine. Pearl closed her eyes and steadied herself. Yes, it would be fine.

Amethyst and Garnet were pleased to watch her come back from her room with her huge beach bag slung over her shoulder. She gave them a small smile, trying to show that even though she really hated the beach, she appreciated the friendly gesture. She would never say it aloud, though. It was too easy to be stubborn. “Did one of you pack an umbrella?”

“Absolutely P, can’t go to the beach without proper gear!” Amethyst cheered. Her bag was almost as big as Pearl’s, but held less. Garnet swung the long, thin bag that contained the umbrella off her back and forward to show it to Pearl. She nodded.

“Alright, let’s get going.” Pearl slipped on a pair of sandals and gave her home a last sorrowful look. The air conditioning would be left on. She knew she would need the house ice cold if she was going to feel comfortable after the adventure. With one more sigh, she pulled the door closed, turned the key, and faced the street, where her two friends were beckoning for her to hurry up.

 

* * *

 

Lapis Lazuli adored water. Adored was an understatement, even, because every moment she could spare was spent in the ocean. She sought out the community rec center’s indoor pool during the winter, even though the center itself was a little scummy and lame. To say she was an enthusiast was to do her a disservice.

Her friends picked on her for it, but she refused to wear anything but a swim suit halter top, no matter the weather. It was freeing and comfortable and gave her an excuse not to wear a bra, and who could pass up that? She liked the way the strings that tied behind her neck tickled her back. She felt prettier with one on.

Today was a day like any other. The weather was perfect, muggy and warm and just hot enough to encourage even the grouchiest residents of Beach City to come to the water. She didn’t mind the crowd, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t prefer to be alone. Despite her more impulsive and outgoing nature, Lapis liked the peace and quiet. It was why often times she would spend most of her time at the ocean at night, after everyone else had left.

There was a slight breeze that whipped her bright blue hair back and forth over her forehead. She sat on a rock formation, one of her favorites, which lined one of the prettiest beaches. She scanned the beach and checked every group, but as always, was disappointed. The one she was looking for was once again nowhere to be found.

She bit her lip in frustration. Lapis had only seen her a grand total of three times in all the years she had lived in Beach City, but that had been enough. The first time had been about six months ago. She had noticed her in a sea of all tanned people, glowing in the sunlight from her exceptionally fair skin. It was a little funny, but captivating. The second time shortly after that, the woman had been with two friends who seemed to be dragging her around against her will. She looked miserable, but like she was trying to have a good time. Lapis had guessed that the outdoors wasn’t her thing.

The third time had been several months later, after Lapis had been certain that she’d moved away and gave up looking. She was at the grocery store, picking out fruits and vegetables from a depleted supply. Her brow had been crossed as she angrily attempted to pick the best from the worst. Even with a scowl, Lapis thought she looked stunning. She could recall the exact shade of blue that her light jacket had been, since it complemented the blue of her eyes. Even from far away, Lapis could tell they were lovely.

Lapis sighed and picked at dirt that had lodged itself into the crevices of a seashell she’d found earlier that morning. It was embarrassing to have a crush on someone she’d only seen three times, and hadn’t even formally met. She didn’t know what her voice sounded like. It was silly, and a little messed up. There wasn’t anything she could do, though. Such was life.

She got to her feet and fluffed out her skirt around her, letting it catch in the wind. Her feet were bare, as always. She supposed that if she thought about it, she led a pretty simple, predictable life. It was fine by her.

The sun caught in her eye and she cupped a hand to shield her vision, once again scanning the sandy shore for that crop of strawberry blonde hair. Nothing. She grunted in annoyance and jumped from the rocks, feeling her soles thud into the sand, a little roughly. She held onto the shell in a gentle fist. She supposed she’d take a walk, then.

 

* * *

 

Pearl could already feel beads of sweat forming on her brow. They’d only just arrived at the beach, and while Amethyst excitedly ran around their discarded beach bags, she pulled her large sun hat farther down her head. She gripped the rim and clenched her teeth. “This will be fun,” she told herself, “this will be fun.”

“Hell yeah, P!” Amethyst caught her off guard, grabbing her around her slim waist and pulling her into the air slightly. Pearl gasped and reached for Amethyst’s arms around her, which were quickly slinking back with a snicker.

“Amethyst!” She cried out, turning around to shoot a deadly glare, but Amethyst was already dashing over the sand to the foamy waves. She had her arms up like a child. Pearl scoffed.

“Pearl, a hand.” Garnet asked, sliding the umbrella from its case and dropping the pieces on the ground. Pearl grabbed two pieces before realizing she had no idea how it went together. She tried to shove the two bits of metal together but failed. Garnet plucked them from her hands, and she blushed with the embarrassment.

“It’s okay,” Garnet said. “You don’t do this often.” Pearl could hear a smile in her tone. At least she wasn’t being cruel, then.

“Thank you.” Pearl said. She pulled her beach towel from her bag and laid it carefully over the sand underneath the umbrella that Garnet was finishing staking. It was a nice shield, and combined with her sunhat, she was beating most of the heat. Her magazine was poking out of her bag and she grabbed it, opening to the middle and leafing through for the article that she’d been looking at weeks ago but could hardly remember.

“I think you should try to come out to the water today.” Garnet said. Pearl raised an eyebrow.

“And why would you suggest that? You know I don’t like it.” She wrinkled her nose at the grainy feeling of the ocean water on her skin. No thank you.

Garnet gave her a disturbingly knowing smile, but adjusted her sunglasses and started to walk to the shore. “Just a feeling.”

Pearl crossed her arms. She really disliked when her friend was so cryptic. Garnet was a mysterious woman, but a lot of fun when she opened up. If it had been anyone else, Pearl would have ignored her words entirely, but Garnet seemed to have a weird sense for things. It was a little creepy sometimes.

For several minutes she attempted to read her magazine, but couldn’t keep her eyes focused for longer than a few minutes before getting distracted by the people playing in the rising tide. Disgruntled, she realized that maybe Garnet had been right. Maybe she should go out. A small voice in her head suggested that she stay back to guard their bags, but she fought it back after a few moments. Beach City was safe, and everyone knew everyone. If anything were to be stolen, the town would figure out the culprit before the police.

She sighed for what had to have been at least the tenth time that day, and stood up. She dusted the sand that had caught in the folds of her light dress, tugged on her hat again, and walked toward the water to meet Amethyst and Garnet. She cringed as the sand grew heavier and strangely stickier as she got closer. It squished between her toes and made squelching noises where her footprints sunk in. The prints started to fill with water, and soon enough, the water surprised her by lapping over her feet in a tiny wave. She gasped: it was cold.

“Heya, Pearl! Over here!” Amethyst yelled, waving her arms wildly in the air. She was so short that only a few dozen yards in was enough to leave her well submerged in the surf. The water stood to about Garnet’s thighs.

Pearl wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling a shiver come over her. The water’s cold pricked at her ankles like ice. How had they adjusted to this? They must have been freezing. As she hesitated, she considered the day’s events so far. She’d been dragged away from a good book to the outdoors, and now she was willingly walking into the ocean. It was unusual to say the least. Pearl guessed that it couldn’t have gotten any stranger.

Before she could take another step, however, a stronger wind blew up and into Pearl’s face, and her large sunhat was dislodged from her head. It flung into the air and Pearl gasped, grappling for it desperately as it tossed toward the clouds. Amethyst was laughing, but Pearl paid her no mind. It was one of her favorite hats and she wasn’t going to lose it to an ocean breeze.

Pearl turned to follow it, taking dazed steps in an attempt to track its flight, before watching it soar down the beach past several bemused vacationers. She ran, taking long strides over the sand to try to catch up with her hat. Unfortunately, her sight was so set on the hat that it failed to watch its surroundings. Pearl saw the hat stop at a pair of feet, and promptly ran into a person who stood directly in her way.

“Ack!” Pearl cried, losing her balance and tumbling forward into her fall. Her poor victim didn’t fare much better; she was already on the ground, fallen backwards into the damp sand. Pearl winced. This was going to be uncomfortable.

“I-I’m sorry,” She stuttered, rising to her feet and dusting off her dress fretfully. “Very sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you alright?” Pearl wiped a forearm across her brow to remove sweat, but paused where it shaded her vision. She’d managed to run into an incredibly cute girl. Of course.

The girl didn’t respond at first, and Pearl flushed even redder at the embarrassment of it all. She held out a hand. “Here, please let me help you.” She said. She swore she was sweating more than she had been moments ago. The girl still sat in stunned silence, and Pearl worried that she’d more seriously injured her. Finally she spoke.

“It’s you!” She cried out, her face erupting from one of surprise to joy. Pearl raised an eyebrow and scratched at her cheek.

“Ah, I’m not sure who you’re thinking of, ma’am, but I’m not sure that I’ve-“

“No, no, it’s definitely you!” The girl took Pearl’s hand and tugged at it to pull herself back to a standing position. She was shorter than Pearl and had hair dyed a vibrant blue. She clasped her other hand over Pearl’s and her eyes practically sparkled. “You were mad, because the grocery store hadn’t gotten any new vegetables in, and there wasn’t really anything worth buying in stock. You got a _ton_ of tomatoes anyway. I saw you!”

Pearl took a step back. “What?” Her expression was guarded. Who was this girl?

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. I’ve just been looking for you for so long! And I’m-“ She cut herself off at the sight of Pearl’s glare. “Okay, too strong. Sorry. Let me start over.”

The girl took a deep breath. Her cheeks puffed out slightly. Pearl could feel the heat of a blush still afflicting her, but she hoped it looked as though she was just hot. “My name is Lapis, Lapis Lazuli, and I don’t know your name,” She began, looking away briefly as though searching the sand for courage, “but I’ve seen you around town and I think you’rereallypretty.”

“What?” Pearl said. She hadn’t understood anything past ‘town’. The girl, named Lapis, had started to mumble too low and too quiet.

“I, uh,” Lapis stalled, looking into Pearl’s eyes and quickly turning her stare away. “Wow, they really are- I’m sorry, this isn’t going how I wanted it to at all.” Lapis sighed. She let go of Pearl’s hand she sat back down in the sand.

 

* * *

 

Lapis buried her face in her knees as she pulled them close to her forehead. _‘Stupid, stupid!’_ She chastised. She stole a look through her bangs at the beauty before her. She was just like she remembered, but even more gorgeous up close. Her skin was the same pearly white, nearly glowing in the sunlight and flushed a lovely red.

And her eyes! Her eyes were exactly as striking as she’d imagined. Lapis knew they were blue, but didn’t know they were _this blue._ They reminded her of the ocean early in the morning, when the sunrise first touched the waves. They swirled with emotion and expression, full of life. If Lapis had found her beautiful before, she was overwhelmed with infatuation now.

Of course, now she’d just ruined her chances at anything at all with her flubbing and fretting. She sighed again and rubbed her face with her hand. Great.

 

* * *

 

Pearl stood awkwardly. She was waiting for a new conversation, but one didn’t come. The girl was distraught, and she at least owed her the attention for having captured her favorite hat. Speaking of, Lapis was now holding it hostage.

Pearl knelt next to her. “Thank you for getting my hat for me,” she offered weakly. Lapis peeked her head out from behind her knees, and a small smile graced her lips.

“You’re welcome,” she said, the sparkle beginning to return to her eyes.

Pearl bit her lip. “Err, may I have it back?” She shifted her weight between feet, not quite sure where to stand.

“Oh!” Lapis shoved the hat forward and into Pearl’s outstretched hand. “I’m sorry, here. “ She smiled.

She didn’t smile for long, though. As soon as she had a grip on her hat again, Pearl turned on her heels and dashed away back toward her friends. This was not a conversation she had wanted to deal with today. This was supposed to be a fun trip to the beach. Pearl heard Lapis call out to her, asking her to wait, but she ignored it. She scowled. How funny it was that she would have much rather spent the day miserable on the beach than deal with this weird girl.

She reached Garnet and Amethyst in record time. She really, really hoped they hadn’t seen that.

“Who was that, P? New girlfriend?” Amethyst snickered. Of course they had. Pearl groaned.

“She caught my hat for me, that’s all.” She placed it back on her head and tugged it farther down on her head, as though trying to hide.

“That’s a shame,” Garnet said, “she’s rather cute.” She adjusted her sunglasses, looking in Lapis’s direction. Pearl blushed bright red, searching for a response but finding none. Amethyst gripped her stomach and guffawed.

Pearl turned back and saw Lapis searching the crowd desperately for her. She was thankful that the beach was so overrun with people today. Lapis Lazuli had caught her by surprise and she had no intention of preparing herself for round two. Round one was terrifying enough! Especially with her eyes so deep and full of excitement, and her smile a shock of electricity down Pearl’s spine. She groaned. No way. Not today.

“Can we go? I think I’ve had enough of this day.” Pearl said, her mouth feeling dry.

“Aww come on Pearl, I don’t want to leave yet! We just got here!” Amethyst complained, kicking the sand. She turned and ran back into the water, obviously ignoring Pearl’s sentiment. She rubbed her eyes.

Garnet placed a hand over Pearl’s shoulder. It was warm and comforting. “I think you should talk to her.”

“What? You too?!” Pearl balked. “No way, she stalked me!”

“No she didn’t. Besides,” Garnet smirked slightly, “I don’t know how much of a choice you’re going to get.”

Garnet began to walk away to join Amethyst again. “Oh no you don’t, Garnet you explain yourself!” Pearl cried, but it fell on deaf ears. She huffed and sat down on her beach towel. She smoothed out her dress and sighed again, and reached for her magazine. Something about makeup, she was reading something about makeup…

“Hey, found you!”

She jumped, and choked on her own spit.

 

* * *

 

_‘Oh good, now she’s going to suffocate. Good going, Lazuli.’_ Lapis groaned internally, but tried to send her crush an uneasy grin. When she had finished coughing and controlled her breathing, she sent Lapis quite the glare. She flinched slightly.

“I know that went really poorly, and I want to apologize.” The girl snorted, and Lapis fought the urge to scowl at her. She was starting over, right. “Do you think I could try again?” Lapis sat down across from her, a comfortable distance away.

She hesitated. “I suppose.” She replied, a bit of ice biting at her words. Obviously she still wasn’t over their previous conversation. Lapis took in a shaky breath.

“Hi,” She started, “My name is Lapis Lazuli. What’s yours?” She asked, holding a hand out to shake. The woman took her hand and shook it firmly.

“My name is Pearl, thank you.” She replied. Pearl! Lapis’s insides warmed with pleasure.

“Nice to meet you, Pearl!” Lapis said, giggling slightly. This was a little silly, but worth a shot. “You see, I’ve seen you around town before, and I thought you were pretty and that I might like to take you on a date.” Pearl blushed, and Lapis could tell it wasn’t all due to the heat. She stifled a smirk of success. The hundreds of mirror rehearsals had paid off. Nice.

“O-oh,” Pearl stuttered, “thank you.” She had looked away to stare at an invisible object in the sand. “But, I…”

“Oh god, I didn’t even ask if you liked girls. Fuck.” Lapis swore, slapping a palm to her forehead in embarrassment. Her cheeks heated up and she groaned, but a gentle giggle from Pearl broke her. It was a wonderful sound. She wanted to hear it again.

“Of course!”

 

* * *

 

_‘Of course?!’_ Pearl panicked. What was she thinking? She was laying everything out in front of her, in front of this girl who had been watching for her? It was kind of endearing, actually, when you got past the creepiness of it. Oh god, what was she _thinking?_

“U-uh, that is, yes, um,” She stumbled over her words, unsure of how to salvage the situation.

Did she want to say yes? Lapis was cute, that she was sure of. Her nose upturned in the sweetest hook. Light freckles dabbed her face, too, and they framed her wide, pretty eyes. Pearl felt a hollow ball of nerves hit her stomach. She did want to say yes. Oh god, was she going to say yes?

Her mouth felt glued shut, but she pried open her lips and licked them to dry the cracks. “I…” She said, again. Hesitation hit her like a ton of bricks. She looked a little past Lapis, and saw Amethyst waving her arms frantically, and Garnet brandishing a thumbs up. Typical. “…Yes?” She said, but it sounded uncertain. Her face felt like it was melting, and she swore it was the weather, but wow was Lapis truly beautiful.

 

* * *

 

_‘Yes? Yes!’_ Lapis squealed internally. “Thank you!” She grabbed for Pearl’s hands, who let her take them without question. Pearl was definitely nervous, she could tell. But she had said yes!

“I can’t believe that worked!” She laughed, standing up and dancing in a little circle. For a moment, she forgot the beautiful girl who sat frozen on a beach towel below her. When she remembered, though, she held out a hand, beckoning for Pearl to take it.

 

* * *

 

Take her hand? Alright. Pearl allowed Lapis to drag her to her feet. Lapis was positively glowing. She was still hopping around like a young, very excited child. It was truly a sight to behold. What had she gotten herself into?

“Oh, oh man,” Lapis said, looking frantically around her. Before Pearl could ask, she laughed uneasily. “I almost forgot, but I don’t have an address, or a phone number, or anything to reach you by.” She rubbed the back of her neck nervously. Pearl frowned, but reached into her bag and managed to fish out a pen.

“I don’t have any paper.” She said. She figured a magazine corner would have to do. Before she ripped it though, Lapis swatted at her hand.

“No, don’t rip your magazine! Um… Here, just write it on my hand!” She said, splaying out her fingers. A small shell popped out of her grip.

Pearl furrowed her brow in confusion, and plucked the shell from the sand. It was pretty and whole, which could be hard to find. “Oh, I was just messing with that earlier. Do you want it? You can keep it.” Lapis said sheepishly. Pearl looked down at the small white shell cradled in her hand. She looked up at Lapis and smiled. This was weird, but whatever. She’d take it. She hadn’t dated anyone in years, maybe it could be fun.

Pearl quickly scrawled her phone number on Lapis’s calloused palm, and clicked the pen shut. Lapis took her hand back, examined the number, and punched it into the air in a fist. “Yes!” She hollered. Pearl blushed. This was probably going to be fun. “Talk to you soon!” Lapis said, and before Pearl had the chance to say anything more, she was running off and away, far from the crowd at the shore and far from her. Pearl watched her leave, fascinated by the flapping of her skirt’s fabric in the wind and her brilliant blue hair.

Amethyst and Garnet had approached her slowly while she had talked with Lapis. “Finally!” Amethyst said, punching the air much like Lapis had.

“What?” Pearl asked, light-headed. “How did you- do you know her?” Pearl was confused. She tried to put the pieces together in her head. Somehow, they had known something.

“She hung around one of the other times we went out like, months ago bro.” Amethyst said, chuckling. “You’re so clueless, P.”

Garnet nodded. “It was kind of obvious.”

“She wouldn’t stop staring!”

“What?” Pearl scowled. “How come you didn’t say anything then? That could have stopped this whole awkward ordeal from ever happening! God forbid you do something helpful, Amethyst.” Pearl rolled her eyes.

“She didn’t make a move.” Amethyst shrugged. “It was kinda sad. But she did this time, right? She asked you out right?” Amethyst hopped up and down. “Ohhh, did you say yes? I hope you said yes, she’s cute as hell! I’d date her in a heartbeat, but damn P, does she only have eyes for you.”

Pearl could hardly protest. It was turning out to be a huge compliment to be followed and stared at. It was a weird day.

She looked down at the white shell still suspended in the crevices of her hand, and wondered. Lapis was a strange girl with a strange energy about her. She was intriguing, to say the least. Pearl was mesmerized, and the seashell in her hand only served to add to the mystery. She actually looked forward to a phone call, this time.

Lapis Lazuli, huh. What a beautiful name.

 

* * *

 

The water kicked up with her foot as she slammed it into the waves, splashing the salty ocean spray all over her skirt. She didn’t care. She had a date, with the girl she’d been thinking about for months! Her name was Pearl. She was beautiful, and she had ocean eyes.

Lapis giggled and smiled and squealed, splashing in the tide and swimming out to deeper waters to share her story with the sea. She reached her hands up into the sky that was dying oranges and reds with the sunset. Her face hurt from smiling. She sighed and floated on her back for a while, watching the sky transform before her. When it began to get too dark, she swam back to shore and sat on the rocks again, scanning the beach for people. She sighed in content when she spotted none. Alone again, with her favorite place in the world, with a cute girl’s number on her hand.

Lapis turned her hand around and went to trace the numbers written on her skin in neat black ink, but froze. She twisted her hand back and forth, looked around her arm, but she knew it was in vain.

The numbers were gone, washed away by the ocean water. There was an inky residue stuck to her palm, but nothing readable.

“Shit! Aw not again,” Lapis cried out, covering her eyes with her arm and falling to her back. She held back tears of frustration, but they quickly dried, and she laughed. “I guess I’m back to square one, huh.” She said to no one in particular. Except she realized she wasn’t at the beginning, but one step further. She had a name now.

She opened her eyes and waited for the stars to pop into the sky, counting them as they showed. _‘Pearl, Pearl, Pearl,’_ her mind chanted, and the name warmed her heart with butterflies.

What a beautiful name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday!!!!!!! <3


End file.
